THE producer of Broadchurch has described the show’s setting as “unique” ahead of filming for the second series of the BAFTA-award winning show.

Filming for the second series is now well underway in Bristol and will return to West Bay over the coming weeks as the producers look again to capture the iconic scenes of the Jurassic Coast.

The entire first series of the smash-hit crime drama will also be screened again on a new channel called ITV Encore from June 9 with the show’s eight episodes screened in four two-hour blocks from June 9 until June 12.

Ahead of the re-showing of the first series, the show’s producer Richard Stokes has talked about the decision to choose West Bay, and Dorset, as the show’s location.

Mr Stokes said: “Chris (Chibnall – the show’s Bridport-based writer) said from the very start that he wanted to do something different from other detective dramas on television at the time.

“For years now gritty detective dramas have been based in urban places and they’ve been quite dark.

“What Chris wanted to do was say, ‘This isn’t a traditional detective drama.’ He wanted the audience to fall in love with the area as much as he had, to see how beautiful it was and how bright it can feel.

“That whole idea that you can have these very powerful, loving, dark stories in bright, beautiful sunshine was something really important to Chris.

“He wanted that sense of the extraordinary, the tragic and the terrible to happen in a rather beautiful and moving environment.”

Mr Stokes also said the show’s crew had set their heart on filming in West Bay after seeing the iconic cliffs for themselves.

Mr Stokes said: “We talked very briefly about whether there was a part of the coast closer to London that we could use.

“We discussed Hastings, Essex, even Weston-super-Mare, cliffs closer to Bristol. But the problem is none of them have that unique look of the Jurassic coast on the Dorset coastline and the quality of the light is slightly different.

“And Chris was really determined to capture that on screen.

“Once we witnessed it ourselves we thought, ‘You’re not going to be able to mock that up somewhere else. You need to be there on the location.’”

Broadchurch-fever is again gripping the nation as filming for the second series begins, with many speculating what will happen in the second series.

Mr Stokes has pleaded for the public not to ask or try to find any spoilers for the second series to help them enjoy it more.

He said: “We understand that because series one was such a success, and because people really liked it and fell in love with those characters, they desperately want to know stuff about series two.

“The one thing I would say is try and think back to what was one of the most enjoyable things about series one, and that was the fact you had no idea what was going to happen next.

“What I would say about series two is if you really want to enjoy it, don’t ask the question.

“Simply because that thrill of seeing something on television that is a genuine surprise is so rare these days. So don’t ask what happens in series two. You’ll enjoy it much more.”